Category Archives:Dharma

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Facebook Live Replay w/ Miles Kessler

How deep are you? Are you a deep thinker? Do you enjoy deep conversation with others? Are you able to feel deeply into yourself… and into the world around you? Or, do you prefer to stay superficial, like a cork bobbing up and down on the surface of the water? In this blog post I am exploring what it means to be deep… and the fundamental practice where “Mindfulness Deepens.”

Facebook Live replay w/ Miles Kessler

The late Austrian psychotherapist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl famously said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Not only is this brilliant quote profoundly true, but it is also a very powerful description of how mindfulness actually works. I invite you to join me in the below Facebook Live replay as I unpack the profound meaning of the “Mindfulness Between Stimulus & Response”.

Teaching & Guided Meditation w/ Miles Kessler

How often do you stop in life? Just stop. In the middle of the relentless rush of your daily life. To intentionally take a moment, a minute, an hour, a day… to stop acting and doing, and to just be in the stillness surrounded by the flow of things. And how often do you engage the movement of life as a flow? To effortlessly, selflessly, and elegantly align with the very movement that is the essence of living. Join me in this Facebook Live replay for a deeper look into the meaning of Movement & Stillness.

Dr. Dominique Cassidy & Miles Kessler

Are you a narcissist? Or have you overcome your narcissist tendencies with meditation? Well, if you were raised in our highly individualized western culture, then there’s a good chance that at least a little narcissism drives your life. Your professional life, your personal life, and perhaps even your spiritual life. This is the topic I dive into in the “Dharma Bite” I had with Aikido Sensei, meditation teacher, and psychiatrist Dr. Dominique Cassidy about “Meditation, Narcissism, & The “I.“

Teja "Fudo Myo" Bell & Miles Kessler

The below “Dharma Bite” is an excerpt from a longer dialogue I did with Teja “Fudo Myoo” Bell Roshi for our “Meditation For Aikidoka” online course members. We had such a wonderful dialogue that I decided to share this excerpt here with my blog readers on “From Emptiness To Spontaneity”.

"Aiki-Discussion" w/ Eran "Junryu" Vardi & Miles Kessler

I recently had an “Aiki-Discussion” with Aikido Sensei and Zen Roshi Eran “Junryu” Vardi for my “Meditation For Aikidoka” online course. We had a wide-ranging conversation on Aikido, Meditation, and enlightenment and I was left with the feeling that we had only scratched the surface. I have taken an excerpt from our discussion to share with you here called “Self, Identity, & Flow”.

Diane Musho Hamilton & Miles Kessler

How intentional are you about your practice and what do you ultimately hope to gain? Do you even consider your desired outcome? In this “Dharma Bite” with Zen teacher and author Diane Musho Hamilton, we discuss how meditation gradually brings you into a greater sense of simplicity in your life. But part of gaining this simplicity is understanding what it means to have few desires, but have great ones.

Diane Musho Hamilton & Miles Kessler

Do you see defeat as a good or bad? If you’re like most, defeat is something you would probably rather avoid. In fact, in some cases, the thought of defeat can be so unacceptable that you’d rather not participate. But even though defeat may feel completely undesirable, what are the possible upsides to defeat? What did the mystic poet Rainer Maria Rilke mean when he said: “the purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.”

Diane Musho Hamilton & Miles Kessler

How aware are you of fear? How does fear feel in your body? How about your mind? Is your experience of fear that fear is in you, or that you are in fear? In the below “Dharma Bite” I continue in my series of Dharma Discussions with Integral Facilitator & Zen Sensei Diane Musho Hamilton on this very topic. In this excerpt, we talk about the competency of containing fear with awareness.

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About Me

I am an American teacher of Aikido (6th Dan, Aikikai), meditation, and Integral Practice. I am the founder and director of the Integral Dojo in Tel Aviv, as well as the non-profit organization Aikido Without Borders in Israel/ Palestine.

For close to 20 years I have been producing innovative Aikido events such as "Aikido Practice & Inquiry", "Integral Aikido Intensives", “The Dead Sea Seminar”, "Meditation For Aikidoka", and the "Aikido At The Leading Edge" tele-summit. These paradigm-shifting events were attended by thousands of people.

My mission is to support people who are committed to a higher Path of practice in the areas of Aikido, meditation, mindfulness, personal development, embodiment and Integral Practice.

If you are passionate about developing your potential by walking a higher path of practice, you are in the right place. Welcome!

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What Teachers Are Saying…

“Miles Kessler is a rare kind of teacher. He has cultivated deep meditative discipline, he is a fully embodied Aikido master, and most importantly, his heart is wide open. You can't help but grow in his company.”
–Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi
Author of "Everything Is Workable - A Zen Guide To Conflict Resolution"

“A bow of acknowledgement to Miles for creating The Integral Dojo online. If Aikido is going to have a part to play in this rapidly changing world, then we need such "virtual dojos" to bring us together to share, collaborate and practice musubi. With this work Miles is helping us move towards leaving the world a better place.”
–Richard Strozzi-Heckler, 7th DanAuthor of "The Leadership Dojo"

“O Sensei said 'Yesterday’s technique won’t be good enough today; and today’s technique won’t be good enough tomorrow.' Miles exemplifies the spirit of exploration, continually challenging the knowledge he has acquired.”
–Richard Moon Sensei, 6th Dan
Founder of “The Art Of Extraordinary Listening”

“It is said that a teacher is like a bell. The sound you get depends on how you ring the bell. Miles Kessler has the subtle skill of asking the questions which get at the essence of things.”
–
Paul Linden Sensei, 6th Dan
Ph.D, Founder of “Being In Movement”

“Miles is one of the wisest and most human facilitators I know. I love him dearly and respect his work."–Mark WalshFounder and Director of "Integration Training".

“Miles’ teaching resonates with clarity and truth. You get a sense that his mind, heart and body are all in alignment as he speaks. His sincerity and humility makes what he offers even more accessible and valuable.”–Linda Holiday Sensei, 6th Dan
Author of "Journey to the Heart of Aikido: The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei "

"Miles' spiritual insight, understanding of the Integral perspective, and embodiment of the principles of Aikido make him an incredible facilitator and teacher. His unique capacity to share directly with others is an inspiring vision of human transformation.”–Patrick Cassidy Sensei, 6th DanMeditation Teacher, Conscious Conflict Resolution Facilitator

"I share a background with Miles of long-term mindfulness and aikido practice. I feel great appreciation for the energy and effort he generates to create opportunities for practitioners of aikido and mindfulness to share how they bring their practice to the world. It is such a gift!”–Wendy Palmer Sensei, 6th DanAikido Sensei, Author of "The Practice Of Freedom: Aikido Principles As A Spiritual Guide"

"Kessler Sensei embodies an abundant passion, penetrating understanding, and unusual depth of ability. Koichi Tohei Sensei once remarked that we human beings are like “people who have been bequeathed golden treasure by our parents, yet leave that treasure locked away, and instead beg for pennies”. It is my opinion that this describes much of what we see under the umbrella term “Aikido”. A welcome and bright exception would be the clarity and vision so elegantly expressed through the work of Miles Kessler Sensei.”–Lawrence Koichi Barrish, Aikido SenseiSenior Shinto Priest of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America, Dojo-Cho Kannagara Aikido

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ABOUT ME

I am the guiding teacher of the Integral Dojo in Tel Aviv, and also the producer of the renowned international Aikido events “The Dead Sea Seminar” and the "Aikido At The Leading Edge" tele-summit. I teach, coach, and write in the fields of Aikido and Meditation full-time. I live with my wife and 2 daughters in Tel-Aviv, Israel, where I run my full-time school and continue to develop the online training community of the Integral Dojo.